Oct 25, 2011

An Interview with Catherine Gardiene

Cat's first published novel, Mission Statement, was recently released by Loose Id. This is her first author interview, for her first novel…as a virgin, we assured her it would only hurt the first time.
Do you plot or do you write by the seat of your pants?
I try to plot. I honestly do. But I've said it before and I'll say it again: most of the time, I don't actually write. I take dictation. Something creates a spark for me, which evolves into spending an inordinate amount of time developing characters in my head, a plot outline, and an arc. Then I sit down to write and my characters take over. If I try to make them follow a plotline that doesn't work for them, they stop talking to me. I once cut over 100 pages because I tried to make my characters go where they didn't want to go. The story got flat, the dialogue got monotonous, and the whole experience was unpleasant for everyone involved. Now I listen better.

What drew you to the story line of Mission Statement?
I love writing about people making positive change in their lives, especially when they take unconventional routes to get there. Vicki finds herself completely off-track and uses some rather unconventional means to get back to where she belongs. One of the many things I love about her is that she overcomes decades of preconceived notions to get "unstuck" in her life.

What’s your favorite quote?
When I was sixteen, I was a stage manager for a local production of Nuts, the play by Tom Topor. The lead character is an unconventional woman (at best) who finds her power and control in a highly unconventional way: she becomes an extremely high-priced call girl. When she's asked how she can defend her choices, she says "You don't understand the things I do, but I do have my reasons. They're not your reasons, so they're not real to you, but they're real to me, and that's enough." I've navigated by that ever since.

What three things would you want with you on a desert island?
My Kindle. A way to charge my Kindle. And lots and lots of paper and pens. Oh, crap. That's four things, isn't it? Well, can I pretend that my desert island has a tree that grows pencils? Of course, if all those things were there, it wouldn't have to be a desert island. It could be half a mile from civilization and I'd never go looking.

Who is your favorite character in your book?
I hadn't really thought about that, but I think I'd have to say Michael. That's actually a surprise to me because I usually fall in love with a secondary character, but Mission Statement is really a study of Vicki and Michael. His illusion that he's got it all together is fascinating to me; watching it unravel makes him real. Of course, a very minor character has since inhabited my brain, so Jonas is quickly becoming a favorite of mine, but that is -- quite literally -- a story for another day.

Where do you write?
I write at my dining room table. There are sticky notes and scraps everywhere. It's free of household clutter and relatively quiet, so it works for me. I only trip over the power cord every three or four days now, which has impressed pretty much everyone in my family.

What was the hardest scene to write?
The opening scene was the hardest. That's always the hardest one for me. I just want everyone to know everything I know from the first word. The first draft becomes something of a brain dump, and it isn't pretty. If not for the supreme patience and candid feedback of my pre-readers, I'd never make it through the submission process. If not for the talent and patience of my fabulous editor, Maryam Salim, the first three chapters would be…well, probably chapters four, five, and six.

What was your favorite scene to write?
I travel a lot for my day job. I saw a woman, seated alone at a bar reading emails on her phone. There was a man in the corner watching her. That picture evolved in my brain. At the same time, I noticed my thirty-something and forty-something friends and I were spending a lot of time wondering "how did we get here?" - the female version of a mid-life crisis, I guess. That poor woman in the bar suddenly had a mid-life crisis of her own and Mission Statement was born. Since that's how the story came to me, that's how I wanted it to give it to the readers. See the answer to "hardest scene" above to see how that ended.

Who is your greatest cheerleader?
It's hard to narrow it down to one person. I have three friends who really helped me summon the courage to try publishing. My dear friend Meri was my first "beta" reader and editor in all things, and she pushed me to improve in a million ways. The story itself started as a snippet in an email with the subject line "does this suck?"; MJ, if you had said yes, I wouldn't be here. Terri is my prototypical reader and compatriot in day job world, constantly telling me that she'd hang it up and hand me Sharpies at my first book signing if only I'd just go for it. These women changed my life.

What other time period besides your own would you like to experience?
I have an obscene fascination with nineteenth century England. To be truthful, I have an obsession with England in general, but the Regency era is a time period I'd travel to in a heartbeat. Of course, in my fantasy, I'd be arriving as Lady Pennyforth-Smythe, Marchioness of Danbury, Society maven and premier member of the haute ton. With my luck, I'd come back as a serving wench at a dockside pub. Not that that's a bad thing; I do have a strong affinity for ale. I just think the experience would be very different. Perhaps I'll write about it instead, so I can have some control over who I am when I get there. Unless the plot/dictation thing messes me up again, that is.

About Cat:
Cat Gardiene spends her days behind a desk and her nights in front of a laptop, but struggles to understand why she doesn’t have a better tan or a firmer ass. A lover of theatre, books, music, and alpha males, not necessarily in that order, she is a proud resident of New York City, where all four are available within a ten-block radius of any corner she finds herself…well, perhaps not the alpha males. But she can always score an excellent cappuccino.

Her writing career began in elementary school, when she and her friends would write fan-fiction for a series she refuses to disclose, but says rhymes with Blarsky and Dutch. Since then, her male characters have become more handsome and her dialogue more suggestive, but her obsession with cops and Hollywood continues. As she did then, she credits her friends with giving her the courage and the stamina to write, and her readers with providing the greatest gift of all – feedback. Visit her at www.catherinegardiene.com. Write to her at cat@catherinegardiene.com and share your thoughts. She’s practically OCD about responding.

About Mission Statement:
Victoria Simpson’s life is crumbling around her, so why not escape to Aruba for a little soul searching? Armed with a mission statement she hopes will turn her life in a new direction, she never expects to fall for a man like Michael, a man who pushes her buttons as much as he pushes her limits.

Michael Collins had everything under control, especially the women he chose to dominate at Club Marquis. But relationships started and ended at the club door, which was precisely how he wanted it. Drawn by Vicki’s vulnerability, he can’t stay away. Her body responds passionately, but she keeps her heart and mind closed to him. Can she embrace the submissive he senses inside her, or will his need to control her drive them apart?

Mission Statement is available from Loose Id at http://is.gd/MissionStatement

Oct 21, 2011

Bruce Jenvey's Angela's Coven


Today, we have with us Bruce Jenvey, author of Angela’s Coven. It’s release day for his book and he’s very excited to tell us everything about it. Help me welcome Bruce to the MFRWA Blog.

This is the release date for my novel, Angela’s Coven. It’s the story of modern-day witches practicing olde world witchcraft in their attempt to save an aging rock star from his unfortunate deal with the Devil. This is a story of new beginnings and second chances within the setting of the battle between good and evil. You’ll meet Lucifer and his chief recruiter, Mr. Ajax as well as you will find Guardian Angels. But mind you, my Guardian Angels act more like a Secret Service protection squad and they carry Berrettas! This leaves our witches and our rock star caught in the middle. You will laugh, you will cry, you will question authority and tradition but in the end, it will cast a different light on anything you may have ever considered as faith. And it’s on sale, starting today, where ever E-Books are sold.
What’s different about Angela’s Coven, is there are no pointy hats, no magic wands, no spell books or bubbling cauldrons. It’s based on witchcraft as it was over a thousand years ago; it’s chemistry, herbology, and what we today would call ‘home remedies.’ Of course, being a work of fiction, I am assuming these poor witches have made some breakthroughs and advancements in their art over the past millennium, so yes, you will most certainly find the unexplained and unexpected. But that takes us into what I want to share with you today: What’s the truth about witchcraft and why do I know so much about it?
First, the truth about witchcraft is the image, the stereotype we have of what a witch is and does, was created by the Church during the Dark Ages. It’s true! Witches were actually midwives and healers, often widows or single women struggling to support themselves within the village or community. What passed for Physicians in those days were trained by ‘medical schools’ supported and controlled by the Church. A degree in medicine also required a degree in theology and doctors had to practice according to the Church’s laws of decency.
Now remember, this was a Church that in those days, burned people at the stake for saying the Earth was round and revolved around the Sun. Doctors were only allowed to examine a patient’s hand and forearm as it was extend through the bed curtains. Any diagnosis, any treatment had to be done with the same limitation. That’s where we got the treatments of applying leaches and bloodletting. But the midwives were allowed behind the curtains and could often see the true nature of someone’s ailment. It didn’t take long for word to get around that if you were really sick or hurt, your best chances of survival were with the midwife, not the Doctors.
The Doctors asked the Church to level the playing field but in their infinite wisdom, rather than allow more patient contact, the Church decided to make villains of the midwives. They labeled them witches, said all sorts of things about them like: If you let yourself be treated by a witch, you could risk your place in heaven. Witches are in league with Satan. Witches might well steal your baby and eat it. They have tricked you into thinking they’re young and beautiful, they are actually old, ugly, have hairy warts on their noses… some even have green skin. And that’s only the beginning of the rumors that were spread. But the really frightening part about all this, is that people believed it!
About the time they started burning them at the stake and hanging them in the town square, the midwives took their art of healing and herbal remedies and went underground where they have basically hidden for more than a thousand years. Occasionally the Church would launch a ‘witch hunt’ just to remind people of the danger of it all and how they were the people’s only salvation. They had roaming ‘witch courts’ that would go from village to village, set up a court, hunt down a few unfortunates, hang them, and then move on. As recently as the latter 1400s, when Columbus was discovering America, there were reports of one witch court that conducted trials in a small town in what is now Germany. When they were done, they had hung every female of every age in town.
It’s been only during the ‘enlightenment’ we have endured since the 1960s, that witches have begun to come out of the closet again. But now, there are two kinds of witches: There are those that can’t wait to tell you they’re a witch. They appear very ‘Goth’ and surround themselves with everything from black candles to enchanted objects. These are not witches. They are only playing witch and are busy living up to every stereotype and image created for them by the Church.
The other kind you have been living with perhaps your entire life and never knew it. They will probably deny it and some have even denied it to themselves, not seeing what they do as ‘witchcraft.’ These, are the real deal! She’s the woman in your neighborhood who seems to know every home remedy and every cleaning tip ever invented… and several you’ve never heard of before. She often has something simmering on the back burner of her stove that never seems to get included on the dinner table. Married, widowed or single, they will be very independent and even casually confident, often answering your question with yet another question. They don’t boast, and rarely even admit that what they do might be considered witchcraft.
So then, the next question is, how do I know all this? For a good number of years, I owned a travel and history magazine for the Great Lakes region aimed primarily at boaters. My staff and I visited countless small waterfront towns and traveled through even more burgs and villages along the way. Every year, we did a Halloween issue, mostly because I love Halloween, and we shared some truly unforgettable history and local legends with our readers over the years. I have seen and experienced some pretty fantastic things and reported about many, many more. I have gone Ghost Hunting in some of the most popular lighthouses, B&Bs and waterfront hotels from upstate New York to the shores of Lake Superior. I‘ve seen silverware rattle and jump at the Olde Angel Inn in Niagara On The Lake and I’ve seen Ghostly faces appear and twist in mirror at the old Seul Choix Lighthouse on Lake Michigan.
One thing I noticed right away, is that where ever you find reports of ghostly activity, talk of witches is never far behind. Sometimes, people blame a rumored, local ‘witch’ for bringing their paranormal problems. In other cases, I’ve had people quietly admit that they have tried everything to deal with their haunted troubles, even consulting the local ‘witch.
One of the many things that were shared with me, were ‘witch bottles.’ This is a practice, a tradition that seems to have been quietly used for centuries and while you don’t find it much in newer homes, I had no trouble finding people who knew all about them. A witch bottle is most frequently found in old homes dating back to the early 1800s and before. The most common usage was to create these ‘witch bottles’ and include them in your house at the time of construction. Often, they were an empty wine bottle, cleansed and then partially filled with ‘stuff.’ (What appears to be various powders mixed with leaves, roots, and other such organic things.) The bottles were then sealed tightly and often plastered into ceilings. Most all of them that I have seen were mounted in the ceilings of the parlor, one in each corner. The bottle was mounted vertically so that the bottom of the bottle extended into the room from the ceiling and the top of the bottle would extend into the attic above. Most houses had attic windows and you get some interesting light play in the parlor as the sun hit the top of the bottle in the attic. The idea being that these were protection against ‘witch attacks’ and by placing one in each corner of the parlor, you had in essence, created a ‘safe room’ where your family could comfortably and safely ride out the evil storm. Now remember, while I have seen these in some form where ever I have gone, most are in upstate New York… the land of Sleepy Hollow, Rip Van Winkle and other old American legends.
My only question ever: So, who made the magic witch bottles? Another witch? How would you know which one to trust? Maybe you were protecting your family against witches, or maybe you were giving them the master key to your house! It always sound to me like asking the Cat Burglars Union to design you next alarm system.
But there were also those things I stumbled across, or… were shared with me, that I was asked not to include but helped in my understanding of what I would write about. What struck me the most, was that everywhere I went, there were great similarities in the stories I heard and the practices I witnessed. Even though many of these ‘back kitchen witches’ thought they were the only ones in the world, they all did things surprisingly the same way. And this is the setting, the homebrew style of witches at work I have brought to life in Angela’s Coven. Please know, this is not a ‘how to’ book. Yes, it’s a work of fiction and I have embellished. But the processes are real and while I have changed the names of some of what was shown to me, it is very much the way they look at life and ‘their calling’ as so many put it.
Angela’s Coven is about a modern-day witch who risks all to save an aging rock star from his unfortunate deal with the Devil. You can learn a lot more about the book and the culture at our web page: www.covenbooks.com, you can see the trailer on You Tube (just search Bruce Jenvey) or go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZQerZ68UZ4. And of course, Angela’s Coven is now available for every Nook and Kindle where ever the best E-Books are sold or directly from our publisher: www.museituppublishing.com.
Thanks for having me today and I will hang around to post along with you if you have any questions or comments.

Bruce Jenvey


Here’s an excerpt from Angela’s Coven:




How fortunate they were to have yet another bright, warm autumn day, he thought to himself as he sat on the bench in Greenwich Village. Across the street, he could see the flow of customers come and go from Angela’s shop. Perhaps it was another good night’s sleep contributing to his take on the situation, but whatever the reason, he felt buoyant, eager, and filled with curiosity.
He was here to ask questions he hadn’t even yet formed in his mind. How do you ask someone if they were involved in the unexplainable?  Especially when they weren’t even there when it happened?  Maybe he didn’t really know why he was here. But here he was, in his hoodie and his sunglasses, sitting on the bench in the mid-afternoon light, anxiously waiting for the ‘Pointyhats and the Wannabes’ to thin out before he ventured across the street.
He must have lost track of those coming and going from the little shop among the other happenings and distractions on the street. He suddenly heard the shop bell ring and looked up to see her, standing in the open doorway with her hands on her hips. She stared directly at him as if to say, ‘are you coming in or not.’  Getting off the bench, he made his way across the street and followed her through the front door. Entering the shop he noticed they were alone, so he removed his hood and shoved his sunglasses into the sweatshirt pocket.
“See, I knew you’d be back,” she started as she took her place behind the counter.
“Well, I’m surprised to say you were right.”
“And you look well-rested, too.”
“Actually, I am. I’ve slept pretty well these past two nights.”
“The Dream Catcher hang in your window okay?”
“How do you know I hung it in my window?” he playfully challenged.
“Because you did. And because you’re well-rested.”
“Sure of that, are you?”
“Did the pounding wake you up?” The fact she knew about the pounding in the middle of the night suddenly unsettled him.
“Yes… But how do you know—”
“I said my customers were all Pointyhats and Wannabes… I never said I was…”
“Then, just what are you?” he asked with great interest.
“Me?  I’m the ‘real deal,’ as they say…”
“Now, come on. Do you really expect me to believe—”
“I don’t care what you believe, I’m just glad to see it all worked out for you…” And then she paused, as if lost in thought, and her expression changed to one of more concern. “Okay, back here.” She reached across the counter and lightly grabbed his sweatshirt. “Someone’s coming…” she said as she led him around the counter and back into the kitchen.
It was Reggie’s first opportunity to take in this behind-the-scenes glimpse into Angela’s life. Much as he had seen two days before, it was a very dated kitchen with aging appliances and fixtures, yet spotlessly clean. The twin stoves were still covered in various pots and pans all slowly simmering away on a low heat making the kitchen feel cozy, even on this warm, autumn day.
But to his left, along the wall, was a small breakfast table with two chairs completely out of sight from the shop floor. They were old, once painted white, but well-worn with decades of use. She guided him down into the far chair as it groaned slightly in protest under his weight. From here, he faced toward the shop, but he was concealed from view by the wall behind the counter and on his side, a refrigerator and a door he assumed led to a closet.
“I thought you didn’t care who found out I was here?” he asked with mild curiosity. “‘Good for business’ I think you said…”
“That doesn’t mean you want to be discovered. After all, you’re the one with the hood and the sunglasses. Besides, right now I want them buying things, not distracted by the great Reggie Sinclair. So, sit!”
“And what makes you think I’ll obey?” There was a good natured taunting in his voice. She looked at him with a great confidence.
“Because I’m going to give you a potion that immobilizes men,” she said as she reached into the refrigerator behind her and pulled out a long-necked bottle of beer. She twisted off the cap and set it in front of him. “It will also make you very susceptible to suggestion. Now, stay!”
“You are so full of it—” he said, starting to laugh. But she snatched up the bottle by its long neck, and with her thumb over the opening, she gave it a quick, single shake. As she set it back down, she released the pressure in his direction spraying him in the face. “Okay!” He instantly surrendered and picked up a dish towel off the table top, wiping the beer foam from his face.
“I’m sure they won’t be long, Reggie Sinclair,” she said with a smile as she hesitated in the doorway that led back to her counter.
“What do you say, we just make it… ‘Reggie’. I don’t go around calling you by your full name.”
“That’s because you don’t know it.”
“Even if I did…” he started, now realizing his disadvantage.
“Bradbury...” she interrupted. “Angela Bradbury, but Angela will be just fine… Reggie.” She smiled softly at him. And then, on cue, the bell over the shop door jangled as new customers entered. He could tell by their voices and footsteps on the wooden floor, there were at least three that had come in together. “There’s more potion in the fridge if that one starts to wear off…”
From where he sat, he could hear her greet her customers with the same ‘Welcome’ he’d received just the other day. And then after that, the women’s voices all started to mingle together, lost in words and phrases unfamiliar to him. But it gave him a chance to study his surroundings as he sipped on his beer.
The stoves intrigued him the most. They were old, a brand that probably hadn’t been produced since the 1950s. They were also electric, and there was just something that hit him odd about a self-proclaimed witch not cooking over an open fire… or at least with gas. But it even felt odder to think of her as a ‘witch’ for the very first time. A ‘witch…’  She was about as far as you could get from any preconceived notion he’d ever had of a ‘witch.’  But then, he’d never spent a great deal of time thinking about witches.
He tried to peer up from his seat into the pots on the stove to see what was simmering away, but being immobilized in his chair limited his view. From what he could see, it was all water, some with more foam and scum floating on top than others, and none smelled the least bit appetizing. His attention was suddenly drawn to the voices in the other room.
“Conjuring powder!” exclaimed one of the women. And then he recognized Angela’s voice responding.
“It’s something new I just got in from the Far East… still working with it myself.”
“Haven’t conjured up that perfect man yet?” teased a third voice.
“And who could be the ‘perfect’ man?” laughed another.
“Oh, I’d settle for a nice Wade Owens, quarterback-type,” came the first voice again. “Or
better yet, Steve Crosby. Love the way he sings!” And they all laughed.
“What about Reggie Sinclair?” came still another unfamiliar voice. “I always thought he was way cuter when I was a girl.” More giggling erupted.
“You know, I have all his records right back to the Spitfires,” came the first voice again. “And then I bought them all again on CD, too.”
“He still lives here in New York, you know… I get tweets from his fan club and he’s been seen a couple of times just this week!”
“Oh really?” he could hear Angela’s voice playing along.
“He was signing autographs in the Mid-Town FYE just the other day. That’s when he’s not running around in that sweatshirt and sunglasses pretending to be invisible!”
“You’re kidding, he really does that?” again, it was Angela’s voice playing along.
“Yes. In fact, he’s been seen several times lately right here in the Village. But the fan club says when he’s wearing the hoodie and the sunglasses he wants to be left alone, so we shouldn’t ask him for autographs then.” In the kitchen, Reggie pulled his sunglasses out of his sweatshirt pocket and looked at them with disappointment before tossing them into the wastebasket next to the stoves.
“But he’s still so hot. Even in that silly disguise. Anybody like that come in here, lately, Angela?  Or is that who you’ve been conjuring up with your new powder?”
“Why of course!” she said sarcastically. “What if I told you he was back in my kitchen right now, drinking a beer?” And they all hooted and giggled with the idea as Angela’s cash register began to ring.
When the shop fell quiet again, she stepped back through the doorway and smugly leaned against the fridge. From where she stood, she peered into the wastebasket at the discarded sunglasses.
“You sure Mr. Ed doesn’t want those back?”
“Ha! Ha!”
She reached into the fridge and grabbed two more beers, one for each of them, and then joined him at the table. She rested an elbow on the table top and cradled her chin on her palm as she looked into his face.
“So, tell me about the dream…”
Suddenly self conscious, Reggie looked away and put up his defenses. “Not much to tell, really… it’s gone anyway.”
“How did you know someone was sending you this dream?”
“You know, I never really bought into that whole idea—”
“You hung it in your window… you even heard the pounding… so what made you realize it wasn’t your own dream?”
He took a deep breath before answering. “The dream wasn’t right… I mean the memory is right, but that’s not exactly how it happened. It was… changed.”
“Bad memory?”
Very bad. But in the dream, it was different from what really happened… made me feel even worse—”
“More guilt…more regret?”
“A lot more…and it was the same God damned dream every night…exactly the same and exactly wrong the same exact way—”
“And seemed to wake you up at about the same time?”
“Every night.”
“That’s a ‘sent’ dream…classic signs…”
Reggie started to feel agitated by her prying, or was it just the pain of the memory opening the wound yet again. “Just what do you mean, sent?”
“People can send you a dream…good dream, bad dream, your dream, their dream… sometimes, they don’t even realize they’re doing it.”
“How can that be?”
“So a woman breaks up with her boyfriend…she goes through a period of vengeful thinking, wishing ill on him, reliving an important moment or two in the breakup…of course, her version of it…and probably altered to make her feel better, which of course, would make him feel worse. If she’s any kind of a psychic or a sensitive and knows it, she may deliberately wish these thoughts on to him. If she does that while he’s sleeping, it can manifest as a dream. Most people get over these vengeful feelings in a while, at least the worst of them, and that gives the other person’s dreams a rest. But if the person doesn’t even know they have an ounce of psychic power, they may not even realize they’re sending you this dream. I knew a man once who was plagued by the same bad dream about his ex-wife every night, at exactly the same time but on weeknights only, never on a weekend. Come to find out, after the divorce, she moved back to Europe to be with her family and every morning at the same time, she was getting on a train to go to work…which she hated. Of course, she blamed this on him and she would ride that train, every morning just steaming about their divorce. Of course, during her commute time, he’s trying to sleep back here in New York. So, bad dream, every night, same time, same place. It happens a lot more often than you think but people shrug it off. All it takes is some connection between those two people… and just a little bit of magical energy…that’s all.”
“Sounds like rubbish,” He tried to dismiss the whole idea.
“Said the man with the Dream Catcher hanging in his window.”
“Okay, but what can I do about it?”
“Well, you can sleep with the Dream Catcher until whoever gets over it all or gives up.”
“What if they don’t?”
“Either way, you could also send them a ‘Boomerang.”
“Boomerang?  What the hell is that?”
She took a deep swig off her beer before continuing. “It’s a reflector for negative energy. It’s a way of bouncing back to the sender the negative energy they’re giving off.”
“And that would work… how?”
“Well, the Boomerang would bounce the negative energy back to them and it could manifest itself in a bad dream of their own…something pulled from their own memories. If the dream is being deliberately sent to you, it’s kind of like punching the bully full in the nose…lets him know you’ll fight back if need be, and lets him know it’s going to hurt. If the sender doesn’t even realize they’re giving you a bad dream, one bad dream of their own is usually enough to distract them from thinking about you and more about themselves. Either way, you win. Think of it like the ‘star-6-9’ of the dream world.”
“And I’ll bet you have this Boomerang attachment to fit my Dream Catcher?”
“No, but I can easily make you one.” She got up from the table and stepped back into the other room. From there, he could hear her opening a draw or two, and the rattle of glass jars. When she returned, she had a small collection of interesting objects stacked on her clipboard. She set them on the table as she found her seat again. She started by opening a paper envelope and removing what looked like a small plant root, barely an inch long.
“What’s that?” he asked with keen interest.
“Oh, it’s got a lot of names, but I know it best as ‘St. Isaac’s Root.’  It’s just part of an herb plant.” She then opened the first of two jars, this one filled with a fine, gray powder, and began to rub the powder into the surface of the root, one pinch at a time.
“And what’s that?” he asked with even more anticipation. She paused a brief moment to look at him with a smile on her face.
“Patience, little boy.  It’s a mixture of other herbs, mixed, boiled down and then ground into a powder… I guess you’d call it a ‘concoction.’ There are more things like this simmering on the stove over there.”
“You mean, this didn’t come from the ‘Mysterious Far East?’”
“Some of it…part of it…but it’s what you do with it and how you combine it that makes it all work.”
“That’s what’s on the stove?”
“Among other things. It takes days, sometimes weeks, to make something like this. You have to simmer slowly, never boil. Sometimes, you have to simmer twice, down to nothing, and then grind what’s left into a powder you can combine with other powders. It’s all pretty complicated… really.”
“I was going to ask about the electric stove…”
“What?  You think I should be ‘bubbling, bubbling, toil and troubling’ in some big, black cauldron over an open fire someplace?  Well, this is New York City and they frown on open fires you know.” She was teasing him pretty hard as she continued to work the gray powder into the herb root. And as she did so, the root’s color slowly changed from off white to a bright yellow.
“It would fit the image…”
“You mean the stereotype. The misconception.”
“What would you call it?”
“Basically, it’s chemistry, that’s all.”
“And there’ll be no magic words or spells to cast?” He tried to hide behind his sarcasm and snicker.
“No,” she said casually as she closed the jar with the gray powder and opened the second jar filled with a nearly black powder. “When you go to your doctor for a flu shot, does he chant or dance around the room before he injects you?”
“No,” he said sheepishly.
“No magic words?”
“Other than ‘If you don’t cry, Reggie, I’ll give you one of the suckers I save for the children’?”
“Yes, other than those magic words.” She laughed.
“No, I guess not.”
“It’s all chemistry, and that’s what you’ll find here, too. Maybe a long forgotten chemistry, but simple chemistry just the same.” As she worked this powder into the root, it slowly changed its color again, this time, into a bright, emerald green.
“So, what’s in that jar?”
“Oh, you don’t want to know…really…and yes, I will be washing my hands before I do anything else.” And she laughed again. A really delightful laugh, too, thought Reggie.
When the root was sufficiently treated, she closed the jar and produced a small wire hook that was probably nothing more than one of those used to hang Christmas ornaments. She forced the small end through the root, much like baiting a fish hook, and then held up her finished work with a sense of pride.
“There you go. One Boomerang.” She gently dropped the root and its hook into a small plastic zipper bag and sealed it. “Just hang this in the center ring of your Dream Catcher between the Dream Catcher and the glass. That’s the important part, it has to be right next to the glass.”
“And what do I owe you?” asked the rock star, reaching for his wallet.
“Dinner!” she answered without hesitation. “Here, tomorrow night. I’ll cook.”
“Cook?” he said with reservation as he pointed to the stoves next to him. She laughed again.
“No…nothing from there. Upstairs. I live upstairs and I actually cook and eat real food, too. No roast Hansel, no grilled Gretel…I promise.”
“Well, that’s comforting…” he said with a genuine relief.
“Be here just before the shop closes at six, and you can tell me how this little thing worked as well,” she said, handing him the envelope.

Booklist

Angela’s Coven

Books Coming Soon

The Great Northern Coven (Book 2 in the Cabbottown Witch Novels, October 2012)
“In the wilds of Alaska, a bush pilot, haunted by his past, becomes lost in an ancient prophecy. And the only one who can save them all has forgotten… she was born a witch!”

Contacts

You Tube: Search: Bruce Jenvey

Oct 20, 2011

J.J. Keller's Jewel Heist

Today, we have the talented J.J. Keller with us to tell us about her new book, Jewel Heist...please join us in welcoming her. What exciting things do you have for us, J.J.?

First, I’d like to invite you to a party celebrating my book release. The Romance Studio is hosting a party on Thursday 10/20/11. This will run from midnight to midnight so it will literally be all day. You can win many prizes (Jewel Heist) and other fresh new books. Join us at http://theromancestudio.com/party TODAY!!

Now, here’s an excerpt and more on what my book is all about:

Jewelry designer Mary Keefe has been robbed--of a million dollars in diamonds belonging to her grandfather--by her own boyfriend, Conrad. Besides recovering the jewels, she's got to conceive a baby within 5 days, to save her family's legacy. Her friends have a plan, a singles cruise so Mary can find a sperm donor with the best qualities. The first mate could be the right choice--he rates a five on the Donor List. Then there's John Wang, her neighbor in the adjoining room. Attraction sizzles between them and they've become friends, but he doesn't act interested. Could be, she's not his type.

For John Kajiyama, posing as Wang, Mary Keefe is just his type. She's beautiful, funny and sweet...but is she innocent? Diamonds are missing and he must recover them for the insurance company. How far will he go to maintain his cover in this investigation?

Excerpt From Jewel Heist:

Chapter 1

The bag of uncut diamonds fell from the safe and poured into Mary Keefe’s palm. She gaped in wonder. A million dollars’ worth of Canada’s finest, freshly mined from Whip Lake near Yellowknife. Slivers of ice appeared in the sharp edges, indicating what lay beneath the cool surface. She ran her finger and thumb over one of the chalky exteriors, anticipating what brilliant masterpiece she could create, devising a cut plan while envisioning a beautiful engagement ring.

“Mary, I’m taking off,” Lisa said from the doorway leading into the sales room. “Dental appointment, remember?”

Mary sat at her desk and glanced at her part-time sales associate. Lisa’s bejeweled hand perched on her slender hip, and in the bright lights of the cutting room, all of her sparklers came out to play. Mary had fashioned at least two of the baubles. Unable to resist, she tore her attention away from her co-worker and focused on the rough natural diamonds. “Oh. Okay, Lisa, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Do you want me to put the closed sign on the door and lock it?” Her tone held resignation. A silvery blond eyebrow lifted. “Andre wouldn’t mind having a bit of freedom from guard duty.” Mary laughed, fingering the soon-to-be resplendent stones. She must return them to their velvet nest. “You knew I’d be fascinated with the goods.”

Lisa chuckled and glanced at her watch. “Sorry, it’s too late to cancel the appointment.”

“No, don’t worry. I’ll put these away and sketch designs between waiting on customers in the lobby.”

“You’re sure?”

Mary nodded to the door. “Yes. Please, go.”

Lisa took a step. “Good night. I’ll see you after you return from your trip.” She strode to the exit, her wide handbag flapping against her narrow side.

Mary sorted through nature’s mysterious stones one more time. At the click of the door, she stashed the rocks inside their dark blue bag.

The shuffle of feet drew her attention from the sack’s drawstring. Lisa must have forgotten something. Instead of her assistant, a tall thin man completely covered in black from his ski mask to leather shoes, swayed inside the room.

Her heart beating as fast as the second hands on the clock collection at the south side of the jewelry store, Mary moved around the desk, intending to stuff the pouch into the safe and slam the door. “Who are you?”

The intruder didn’t deter her. However, the metal safe seemed farther away than it had appeared a moment ago. She crept forward, keeping the dark opening in sight. “My assistant will be back in a second.”

An arm came out of nowhere and wrapped under her breasts, preventing her upper body from moving. Despite her breaths expelling fast and in short bursts, she hurled the stones and threw her head back, connecting with the chin of her attacker.

“Shit!” a man snapped. A familiar voice. Please, it couldn’t be him.

The bag hit the rim of the safe with a thunk. As with all things earthly, the jewels fell.

She screamed loud enough surely her grandfather, in his office two stories up, would hear the vocal alarm.

Where was Andre? God, she hoped he was okay. One huge hand completely covered her mouth and the other twisted her arm. Deep breaths brought scents, a mixture of plant fertilizer and pungent Axe cologne into her nostrils. Beneath the soft wool, she bit her lips, trying to keep them from trembling.

“Go!” he shouted, releasing her mouth. He reached for the dark blue bag of a million dollars’ worth of jewels resting on the cream and gray tiled floor. His partner shuffled out into the lobby, and soon breaking glass rippled through the silence. Smoke billowed into the office. Damn, her new glass display cases, destroyed. Surely her grandfather heard the explosion and would come running.

Her teeth clung to her attacker’s wrist as he bent, until his hand flipped and covered her nose and mouth, forcing her to relax. He stood straight, easing the tension of the hold. Velvet rubbed against her stomach where the blouse had come free from her slacks. They had made love once, on this very floor. An image of him placing a few minor gemstones on her belly and moving them around with his tongue flooded her mind. She resented the intrusion of a romantic tryst now that Conrad Peabody’s true character had been exposed.

His gloved fingers continued to press against her mouth, jamming her teeth into the soft tissue. She finally got relief from the force when he moved his hand and used his teeth to pull off the glove. He stuffed the leather into his pocket, then transferred the bag of gems to his unencumbered hand. His breathing increased, pushing his chest against her back, as his fingers worked open the yellow binding of the casing.

Mary drew a sharp breath. There it was--the mole shaped like molar tooth--at the apex of his right thumb and index finger, confirming the identity of her attacker and thief—a dishonest, unfaithful, and untrustworthy lover. Conrad’s sigh was followed by a sickly sweet scent, which tossed her into darkness.

JEWEL HEIST

Oct 19, 2011

Excerpt Blonde Demolition: Chris Redding

My next book out electronically is called Blonde Demolition.

Here's the blurb:

You just can't hide from the past...



Mallory Sage lives in a small, idyllic town where nothing ever happens. Just the kind of life she has always wanted. No one, not even her fellow volunteer firefighters, knows about her past life as an agent for Homeland Security.



Former partner and lover, Trey McCrane, comes back into Mallory's life. He believes they made a great team once, and that they can do so again. Besides, they don't have much choice. Paul Stanley, a twisted killer and their old nemesis, is back.



Framed for a bombing and drawn together by necessity, Mallory and Trey go on the run and must learn to trust each other again―if they hope to survive. But Mallory has been hiding another secret, one that could destroy their relationship. And time is running out.





------
Mallory Sage's heart raced at the sight before her—a bomb.

It had all the parts necessary to blow up the beer trailer and everything nearby—including her fellow firefighters at the Coleville Volunteer Fire Company.

Adrenaline and anger streaked through her.

She called to her chief. "Jesse, get out."

I won't lose you. Not now. Not like this.

Jesse Moran backed away from her, licked his lips and then moved in her direction. "Get out of here, Mal."

Her heart sank. Even in the face of a bomb, her lover was willing to protect her. She clenched and unclenched her fists, her breath coming out in pants. "Not without you, Jesse."

Without taking her eyes off Jesse, she shouted to another firefighter"Call 911. Tell them we need the bomb squad."

When Jesse reached her, she yanked him out. He had a hundred pounds on her. She had the element of surprise. "Get me wire cutters."

Jesse looked at her as though she had three heads.

"Do it."

He shook his head. "No, you don't know what you're doing."

She made eye contact with one of the bystanders. "Get me wire cutters and clear everyone out of here. Make sure no workers are on the fairgrounds."

The last thing the struggling fire company needed was to lose this fair. It was their sole fund raising effort. These guys missed dinners and family events to put out fires and some jerk with a penchant for bombs couldn't be allowed to do that to them.

What if this is just the beginning?
-----
Chris Redding lives in New Jersey with her husband, two kids, one dog and three rabbits. She graduated from Penn State with a degree in journalism. When she isn't writing, she works part time for her local hospital. She belongs to Liberty States Fiction Writers and teaches several online writing courses.

Her latest out in print is A  View to a Kilt a humorous romantic suspense, out November 1.

You can find her on the web at:

Oct 14, 2011

An Interview With Karen Coté

Today we have the lovely Karen Coté to tell us about her...wait...who are you? 

Folks, we have an interloper here...Lily Delaney from Erotic Deception just stormed into the interview room and shoves poor Karen Coté aside.

I heard you’d invited Karen Coté to a launch party. This is my day! She gets to go out-and-about all the time while I’ve been stuck inside a publishing house.

I waited months and months for a manicure. Do you know the challenges of trying to style hair that’s unruly and needs a trim? I hadn’t been shopping in like…forever and I wasn’t about to show-up in something that was so last year. Now I’ve done all that…I want to plaaay!

So what are these questions. I’m sure you’ll find my answers much more interesting than hers. Let’s see…

Leather or lace?

*snicker* Hellooo. That‘s like choosing between red or pink lipstick right? Love, love love lace, but some occasions just scream leather, don’t you think?

Black or red?

Oh! You just described my favorite Jimmy Choos.

Satin sheets or Egyptian cotton?

Hmmm…now that’s a toughie. Satin can certainly bring a sigh to my lips but 1200 thread count Egyptian? That’s worthy of a groan.

Ocean or mountains?

*chuckle* You know those times when Karen gets writers block? Yeah, I’m sure you do. Well, sometimes my friend, Mr. Muse won’t come out until Karen walks to the beach and yes, Karen’s Muse is a male. It’s great for me as I can flirt outrageously with him to get my way with that pesky sheriff. So definitely ocean.

City life or country life?

City life is fabulous but dipping my toes in a cool lake can send a tingle up my spine. Hmm, moonlight caressing my skin, water lapping against the shore, leaning against those big broad shoulders…Huh? I’m sorry. What was the question?

Hunky heroes or average Joe?

Yes.

Party life or quiet dinner for two?

Is this another lipstick color question?

Dogs or cats?

Pugs…the chubby ones. Sometimes they act like cats. *snort* Of course, sometimes they act like pigs. Then there’s the bullfrog look. Yep. They’re just like people.

I love pizza with...

No one…coz when that doorbell rings and that pizza guy delivers that pie, I want nobody encroaching on my pepperoni.

I'm always ready for...

Criminal Minds. I swear, if the Chippendales stopped by while I was watching Aaron Hotchner, I’d send them off with their bow ties and cuff links tucked between their nether regions.

When I'm alone, I...

Really? We’re gonna do this here?

You'd never be able to tell, but...

Oh no. Nice try but I star in a Romantic Suspense novel and I’m not gonna... like…just hand you the answers.

If I could ...

Get those handcuffs away from the sheriff, I’d hook him up in my room and teach him some investigative skills.

I can never...

Be anything I’m not because I am what I am.

Uh...thanks for the lovely interview, Lily. Help Karen celebrate the release of her book, Erotic Deception.

Books Coming Soon from Karen Coté
Writers on the Wrong Side of the Road…An Anthology (November 2011)

Find Karen and her books here:
Buy Links: http://www.karencote.tv/newsbooks

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